Walmart continues to perform much better in the grocery aisle than in its apparel and footwear section. They are very much aware of how critical grocery items are to the consumer. In its last quarterly earnings conference call, Wal-Mart mentioned, "As we move into the second quarter, we remain mindful of potential challenges for our customers. The overall economy is still our customers' main concern. In particular, they remain concerned about job security or the availability of jobs, followed by gas and energy prices and rising food costs. Food is consistently the top monthly expense outside of housing and vehicle payments."